The White Star Lotus
by Ragman
Summary: Ranma's life hangs in the balance, and Akane must come to terms with herself in order to save his life.
1. Prologue

The White Star Lotus

A Ranma 1/2 Fan-fiction

by

Ragman

Chinese:Underlined / Italics: Thoughts / Ranmachan: Girltype Ranma / Pichan: Ryoga transformed / Mu Mu Chan: Mousse transformed / Nekochan: Shampoo transformed

Note: This fan-fiction is based on the manga Ranma ½. All characters herein (With the exception of the ones created for the fan-fiction.) were created by Rumiko Takahashi. These events take place after the "arranged marriage fiasco" on Mt. Phoenix.

Prologue

Shampoo stood smiling in the kitchen of the Cat Cafe. She was softly humming a Chinese tune while watching a steamer basket vigorously spewing steam upwards towards the large vents above the large gas stove. A timer was ticking away on the counter, almost in time with her humming.

"_They are almost done!_" she thought happily to herself. "_Soon Ranma will belong only to me!_"

Shampoo was soon lost in a wonderful daydream. She stood in front of a grand alter in a majestic cathedral wearing a beautiful western-style wedding gown. She held in her hands a large bouquet of white roses. Turning her head, she looked upward, gazing up at her groom. Ranma was looking down at her, smiling softly in his shining black tuxedo, while an elderly bishop, in a shining white and gold cloak and miter, was reciting the vows of marriage in front of hundreds of gawking, star-eyed witnesses. With love in his eyes, Ranma leans over to give shampoo the kiss of all kisses when a strange ringing sound pierced thought the cathedral. Snapping back to reality, Shampoo realized that the ringing was the timer sounding.

"_Ayeeya! It's done!_" She thought with glee, as she removed the basket from the pot on the stove.

Carefully removing the cover on the basket, she gazed lovingly at the piping hot steamed buns inside.

"_Perfect!_" she thought smiling.

Suddenly a stern voice echoed from the living area of the café.

"Shampoo! Shampoo! Where are you girl?"

"_Oh no! I've got to hide these before she sees them!_" She thought in a panic.

Putting the cover back on the steamer, she removed it from the stove and quickly put it into the nearby refrigerator, hiding it behind some items on the shelf inside. Just as she closed the door to the refrigerator, Cologne, Shampoo's great-great grandmother, entered the kitchen, hopping on her long cane like some bizarre pogo stick. Her long white hair flowed behind her like a flying white dragon, her hands hidden in the sleeves of her green embroidered robes. She had a frown on her face as she approached.

"Shampoo! Did you not hear me calling you, girl! Your inattentiveness is bad for business! We have lots of work to do before we open the restaurant, so you had better stop daydreaming, do you hear me?" she said as she shook her small, wrinkled finger at Shampoo.

"Y-yes, G-great-grand mother, please accept my apologies, I was thinking of what items to offer today for the daily specials!" Shampoo said docilely, while bowing with great respect to her Great-great-grandmother.

"Never mind that! I've already selected the daily specials, they are on the display board. I want you to begin the deliveries for the day. We already have 10 orders for the lunch special and 13 orders for the ramen combo at that new Tokyo anime production studio, Vix, Viz…I can't remember, so I need you to prepare those orders ASAP so Mousse can deliver them before noon, not to mention the new plan I mentioned to you about finally getting that ungrateful son-in-law of mine under our power! I need to talk to you about that! Are you listening to me young lady?" she said poking her gnarled cane into Shampoo's stomach.

"O-of Course, G-great-grand mother! I'll get on it right away!" Shampoo said in a shaky voice, bowing once again.

Cologne's eyes narrowed with suspicion, "What's wrong with you girl? I haven't seen you this distracted since you came back to the Amazon village after your failed attempt to kill Ranma's girl half! What is going on in that limited mind of yours!"

Shampoo blushed with part resentment and part embarrassment, "I'm sorry Great-grand mother! I've just been wondering if all my efforts are in vain! After all, Ranma loves only Akane!"

Cologne closes her eyes in exasperation, "Shampoo, my dear, you know as well as I, that a man's heart is as fickle as spring breeze. What matters most to a man is how he sees a woman in action. The emotions she brings to bear in his heart with her own actions. You are strong, beautiful, and brave in his eyes." Cologne said looking at her Great-granddaughter with part love, part frustration and pride in her eyes. Shampoo blushed under her gaze, almost forgetting the harsh words her Great-Grandmother spoke at her earlier.

"That is enough for a martial artist of his stature. He just needs the proper convincing in order to see the light! Now stop worrying! My plan will soon bend that ungrateful son-in-law to our way of thinking! Now go and get those orders prepared, and leave Ranma to me!" said Cologne, smacking Shampoo in the rump with her cane for good measure.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The morning light was shining through Akane's bedroom curtains, slowly inching upwards towards her face as she lay snug under her covers, dozing softly. The light soon reached her eyes and her face grimaced as her eyes slowly opened. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Then with a loud yawn her arms shot up over her head as she stretched, arching her back as she tried to get her brain started for the day. She carefully got out of bed and noticed that there was a tray on her desk. On it was a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, a steamed fish and a cup of steaming tea.

"Great. I overslept again. Kasumi must have left it for me. Good thing there is no school today." She giggled as she walked towards her window.

She briskly flung open her curtains letting the sunshine flood her dark bedroom. "Looks like it's going be a great morning for a change." She sighed as she took a sip of her tea.

She looked down from her window and saw a figure in the courtyard by the dojo. Squinting slightly, she saw Ranma, who was performing his katas with a bo-staff twirling in both hands. He was wearing his white tank top, black trousers, white socks and black Chinese shoes. Sweat was streaming down his well-defined back and arms as he executed a difficult series of moves with his staff. Akane stifled a sigh watching him.

Her mind went back to Mt. Phoenix, she was unconscious in Ranma's arms. As she was regaining her senses, she heard Ranma's grief-stricken voice in her head: "_**I love you!**_" Shaking her head irritably, "Did he really say that?" She wasn't sure as she was just regaining consciousness at that time and could have been imagining the whole thing. She didn't have the courage to ask him about it as usual. That frustrated her a lot. She really wanted to tell him how she felt, but was afraid of what he would say. In the beginning it was a lot easier. All Ranma had to do was open his mouth, say the wrong thing, and Akane would pound him into the ground with her trusty mallet, and that would be the end of it. Ever since they got back from Mt. Phoenix, Ranma has been VERY kind to her. To kind! It's like he's a different person now. And they have both been so busy with graduation getting closer, that they haven't had time for anything, much less talk to each other about the one thing they both would not admit to themselves: They love each other.

Giving Ranma one last gaze, she turned from the window with a sigh, ate her breakfast, and got ready for the day.

Ranma was just finishing his kata for the morning, spinning his staff in swift patterns over his head, finishing with a leap and stab with his staff at an imaginary foe. Ranma walked over to the porch of the dojo and retrieved a towel after putting away the staff, and began wiping his sweat covered brow. Looking up at Akane's window he noticed that she finally stopped watching him. Years of training have given him a powerful sense of his surroundings. Akane's eyes were like floodlights on him and he felt her presence the minute she looked at him. He was part relieved, part frustrated. He wasn't very good at expressing his feelings. That usually ended up getting his head pounded by Akane.


End file.
